Vehicle Control Scheme for Assessment of Operational Control Algorithm in Personal Rapid Transit Systems

In this paper we deal with the design of an apparatus for developing and testing a vehicle control scheme in PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) system. PRT systems require very short headways to increase the line capacity and a very reliable vehicle control algorithm for avoidance of the impact between vehicles. An apparatus that is composed of virtual vehicles, a central control system, a man-machine interface and a monitoring device is proposed to implement and to evaluate the designed vehicle control algorithm. Simple operational scenarios are proposed for the test of the proposed vehicle control apparatus.